So what am I in for?

[Silentium]

So it's been a while since I've played the Splatoon series. I stopped with Splatoon 1 a long while ago, and haven't gotten around to Splatoon 2 since I don't own a Switch, yet. I've held off for various reasons, though I plan on purchasing one within the next week or so. Essentially, I just want to know a lot of stuff before I finally get my hands on the sequel. (Question marathon warning! Don't feel obligated to answer everything, I'm just extremely curious).

(1) How have things been in Splatoon 2? How is it like, overall, relative to Splatoon 1?

(2) How are the new dualies and brella weapons?

(3) How do you feel the new specials are in regards to the old ones? (The general consensus I've noticed is that it's more balanced this time around.)

(4) What is the current meta? Where there any major changes to the meta overtime?

(5) How is Salmon Run?

(6) How is the Clam Blitz mode? (I didn't even hear about this until today!)

(7) Regarding the Switch itself, do you play it in handheld mode much? How is it like?

(8) Also regarding the Switch, can you play Splatoon 2 well using joycons + the grip, or is a pro controller highly recommended?

 

[Kidnacho]

1) In my opinion it's generally been fun. I've been having a just as good if not better time than Splatoon 1. Sure, it feels very similar to the first game but the way I see it, if it ain't broke don't fix it. It's still just as fun.
2) While I can't say much on the dualies the brella I definitely like. It's not that I don't like the dualies or think they're bad, I just don't play them. However the brella can be really powerful if you play it right. My advice is spam the ZR button for turfing and shoot once and keep your shield up for a second or two before your next shot in a 1v1 situation.
3) I'd agree on them being balanced, but it doesn't make them less useful in my opinion. The only one I haven't liked is the Stingray but then again I never use Stingray weapons. The Tenta Missiles are great at pressuring targets, Ink Armor is useful when it's your team vs the other team (For example, in Tower Control it's most useful when your team is riding the tower as enemies start to ambush you), Baller I just find fun. If you want to chase someone away or a couple enemies away it's good if you can't sneak up and blow them up. Inkstorm is surprisingly effective, can damage and kill enemies if caught in it and while it's not the greatest for turf coverage it's good for commonly ignored spots from what I've seen. Bubble Blower can be tricky, I think I've used it for a wall more than anything else. It's also not uncommon to get kills with it too whether you or a teammate pop it. Bomb Launcher/Bomb Rush I can't say a whole lot besides I've seen people use it to pressure people away from an area. I think that's about it.
4) Someone else is going to have to answer this since I pay little attention to the meta.
5) Fun but chaotic. Prepare yourself for a LOT of "This Way!"s and "Help!"s. Just getting my alt. account to where I am now on my main account was as intense as playing on my main account. Just try not to stray away from your team and don't have too much trust in them. Not saying your teammates are gonna be bad but multiple times that led to our loss. One time I thought "We're doing good and there's an annoying boss across the map. If we don't get it now it's gonna kill us. I think they can handle themselves while I take it out." Little did I know that 10 seconds later they were all dead with 5 bosses right there ready to kill me upon turning around after killing the annoying boss. Some tips:
If it gets dark, CAMP THE BASKET UNTIL YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS. When it's dark, it's a boss wave. From my experience you don't know what it is until maybe 3 seconds before the wave at best. If it's a Goldie Rush or a Griller round, it's best to start there at the very least.
Listen for the tide between waves. You can hear whether the tide changes and if you listen good enough you can hear specifically which tide it'll be.
Mothership+Stingray=Easy Win. The special weapons are randomized each round and if you have a Stringray, try to keep it for a Mothership wave because the Mothership tries to steal eggs. The Stingray makes it the best counter against this plus you get a ton of eggs out of it.
Speaking of Stingray, know that it can take out most bosses without needing to do what would otherwise be necessary. This is really helpful on Marooner's Bay when there's a ton of bosses/salmonoids on one side, especially during high tide.
If you see someone spamming "This Way!" It probably means there's a ton of eggs or they need help and are probably about to die and start spamming "Help!" I can't tell you how annoying it is when I'm trying to tell my team "This Way!" while surrounded with maybe 10 eggs.
There's more I could give but it's late and I have school so if you'd like I can reply with more tips that I can think of.
6) It's a lot like Rainmaker in the sense that teamwork can and will be crucial. You're delivering clams to the enemy base and most likely, you're going to need at least one person tagging along with you in order to get a good amount of points. Also similar to Rainmaker is that if you see a teammate with a super clam, be their bodyguard if defenseless. It makes them stand out to all 8 players like Rainmaker and yes this means you should hunt down an enemy with a super clam looking to earn points for their team. One effective way to win is sticking together as a team.
7) I find it comfortable. It's not my preference but I don't not like it. I only play it when I'm out of the house without my joy-con charging grip
8) I don't have a pro controller but I have no complaints with the grip. At this point I'd rather stick with the grip than go buy a pro controller just for Splatoon 2.

Sorry for the rushed answers but I hope it helps

 

[The Salamander King]

Since @Kidnacho basically said everything except it, I will talk about the meta.

Right now, the meta mostly consists of Forge Splattershot Pro, Nzap 85, Blaster, and Sloshing Machine, with Slosher deco on the rise and Range Blaster and Splat Brella on the decline. Heavy deco and Dapple Dualies also look like they could be getting up there, but we'll have to see. The most powerful specials are Bubble Blower, Ink Armor, and Sting Ray for their many uses, with Splashdown being borderline broken on certain weapons (Blaster, Splattershot) but only useful in fights and not pushing objective.

The Brella and Dualie classes are somewhat hit or miss. The Brella class has the Splat Brella, Tenta Brella, and Undercover Brella. Of the three, only the Splat Brella is good. The Dualie class contains Splat Dualies, Emperry Splat Dualies, Dapple Dualies, Dapples Nouveau, Glooga Dualies, Dark Tetra Dualies, and Dualie Squelchers. The normal Splat and Emperry Dualies are fairly good, and the vanilla Dapples are extremely good (with nouveau not far behind). The Dualie Squelcher might be the best main weapon in the game, but its kit doesn't work well with the weapon so it isn't amazing. The Glooga and Tetra Dualies are a mixed bag of decent and awful qualities.

 

[Padre]

My thoughts:

2: Dualies are coming to meta. They have been buffed enough, but brellas are still niche.
Question 8: Joy-Cons work really fine in this game, you wont need Pro. Some even prefer them actually, as you only need to move the other one to aim if uou use them separately. In my mind Pro IS more ergonomic, but then again its a lot of extra money.

 

[Nutmeat]

My thoughts:

2: Dualies are coming to meta. They have been buffed enough, but brellas are still niche.
Question 8: Joy-Cons work really fine in this game, you wont need Pro. Some even prefer them actually, as you only need to move the other one to aim if uou use them separately. In my mind Pro IS more ergonomic, but then again its a lot of extra money.

I disagree about the joycons, I find it extremely hard to play with them compared to the pro controller. Sure they work, but the pro controller is a massive upgrade, especially if you have larger hands.

 

[Silentium]

Sorry for the rushed answers but I hope it helps

No worries! Any information helps out.

Right now, the meta mostly consists of Forge Splattershot Pro, Nzap 85, Blaster, and Sloshing Machine, with Slosher deco on the rise and Range Blaster and Splat Brella on the decline. Heavy deco and Dapple Dualies also look like they could be getting up there, but we'll have to see. The most powerful specials are Bubble Blower, Ink Armor, and Sting Ray for their many uses, with Splashdown being borderline broken on certain weapons (Blaster, Splattershot) but only useful in fights and not pushing objective.

Looks like it's mainly medium ranged weaponry dominating the scene. Have any ideas why this may be the case?

The Brella and Dualie classes are somewhat hit or miss. The Brella class has the Splat Brella, Tenta Brella, and Undercover Brella. Of the three, only the Splat Brella is good. The Dualie class contains Splat Dualies, Emperry Splat Dualies, Dapple Dualies, Dapples Nouveau, Glooga Dualies, Dark Tetra Dualies, and Dualie Squelchers. The normal Splat and Emperry Dualies are fairly good, and the vanilla Dapples are extremely good (with nouveau not far behind). The Dualie Squelcher might be the best main weapon in the game, but its kit doesn't work well with the weapon so it isn't amazing. The Glooga and Tetra Dualies are a mixed bag of decent and awful qualities.

What makes the Brella and Dualie class hit or miss? What especially makes the Brella generally under perform?

2: Dualies are coming to meta. They have been buffed enough, but brellas are still niche.
Question 8: Joy-Cons work really fine in this game, you wont need Pro. Some even prefer them actually, as you only need to move the other one to aim if uou use them separately. In my mind Pro IS more ergonomic, but then again its a lot of extra money.

Similar question: why do you feel the Brella is a niche weapon?
Also, good to hear the joycons are viable. I'm not quite set on buying another controller (and a pricey one at that), so if I can hold out I will.

I disagree about the joycons, I find it extremely hard to play with them compared to the pro controller. Sure they work, but the pro controller is a massive upgrade, especially if you have larger hands.

Hmm, I've also heard this as well. I too have large hands. I'm not rushing into competitive anytime soon, so if the joycons work well enough I'll just stick with them for now.

 

[techton]

Unfortunately the current matchmaking system in this game is so bad that it keeps me from recommending this game. Like, it's way worse than Splatoon 1's, especially in ranked. Because of this, most matches you play, you'll either lose miserably or win easily because it's lopsided in weaponry. You'll have matches like "InkBrush team vs. Jet Squelcher team" and "Roller team vs. Charger team".

Weapon balancing is... eh. It's okay but it could be better. We're at a bit of an annoying point in the meta. N-ZAPs, Sploosh-O-Matics and Sloshers are the meta currently, though the most popular weapon right now is the Sploosh-O-Matic. You're bound to see at least one nearly every single match.

Ranked is a complete disaster right now, again, because of the matchmaking, so I would probably avoid it if you don't want to deal with BS (because that's what I think ranked is half the time lol).

Salmon Run however, is an absolute hoot. It's literally what I live for in Splatoon 2. Play it once you pick the game up. You absolutely have to.

This is at least my experience with the game so far, and quite a few people have had similar experiences, and I hope that you don't have the same negative experience if you decide to get Splatoon 2.

Besides the weapon balancing and matchmaking that just beats up the game senselessly, it's exactly what it should be; fun and awesome.

 

[The Salamander King]

No worries! Any information helps out.


Looks like it's mainly medium ranged weaponry dominating the scene. Have any ideas why this may be the case?


What makes the Brella and Dualie class hit or miss? What especially makes the Brella generally under perform?


Similar question: why do you feel the Brella is a niche weapon?
Also, good to hear the joycons are viable. I'm not quite set on buying another controller (and a pricey one at that), so if I can hold out I will.


Hmm, I've also heard this as well. I too have large hands. I'm not rushing into competitive anytime soon, so if the joycons work well enough I'll just stick with them for now.

Most of the meta is short-mid ranged weapons that can do a lot of things efficiently, while not being the best at a certain thing. The only reason Forge is used is because of the bomb-bubble tactic. The maps in this game are also a lot more narrow and short-range focused than the 1st game's.

All brellas with the exception of the original have glaring problems in many places. The Tenta kills slowly, paints slowly, has a slow-moving shield, and a garbage kit. The Undercover is good at painting but requires 3 shots and the shield is really weak. It also comes with ink mines, which is just faaaaaaaaaaantastic.

The reason Gloogas aren't good is because of:
1. Less range than .96
2. Slow 3 shot kill (much faster 2 shot when in turret mode)
3. Bad kit, Ink Mine and Inkjet.
4. Subpar painting because of slow movement and fire rate.

As for Tetras, we'll just have to see.

 

[Jayy]

What’re you in for? Salt. A thousand times your recommended daily value.

Techton had it right with garbage matchmaking. And the fact that Nintendo is so opaque about how it works, i.e. everything people know seems to be based on speculation makes it even more frustrating.

If you get on a winning streak, your first loss afterwards you should just take a break cuz the game is setting you up for a losing streak next.

Turf war if you’re getting pummeled I hate to say it but I end up just giving up cuz there’s no point in trying.

Ranked I’ve won games of rainmaker in less then 30 seconds and I’ve lost in even less time.

Get prepared to hate overtime.

The game is addicting but infuriating.

 

[Green Waffles]

Splatoon meta-game questions?
If you're down for a little bit of reading, boy howdy do I have a good site for you!

https://flc.imperious.ink/

Of course, the newest blog post is first, so you'll want to scroll down a bit if you want to read all his posts chronologically.

And my own tiny blip about ranked n whatnot
It's about as janky as it was back in splatoon 1 just
-S+ is a little easier to reach and the player skill pool is wider as a result
-Chargers were hit with a bunch of little nerfs upon release, the charger mains are coming out of the woodwork slowly now, but most lobbies you won't be seeing any. To put you in the current mind-set, rapid blaster is on of the the top "long range" picks (even though it's mid-range xP)

So if you enjoyed ranked in splatoon 1, at least a little bit, you'll probably feel right at home after your controller adjustment period is done =p

 

[Nutmeat]

Splatoon meta-game questions?
If you're down for a little bit of reading, boy howdy do I have a good site for you!

https://flc.imperious.ink/

Of course, the newest blog post is first, so you'll want to scroll down a bit if you want to read all his posts chronologically.

And my own tiny blip about ranked n whatnot
It's about as janky as it was back in splatoon 1 just
-S+ is a little easier to reach and the player skill pool is wider as a result
-Chargers were hit with a bunch of little nerfs upon release, the charger mains are coming out of the woodwork slowly now, but most lobbies you won't be seeing any. To put you in the current mind-set, rapid blaster is on of the the top "long range" picks (even though it's mid-range xP)

So if you enjoyed ranked in splatoon 1, at least a little bit, you'll probably feel right at home after your controller adjustment period is done =p

That blog is a good read, thanks for the link

Edit: he wrote something I don't think I understand:

"Specifically, you want to use enough such that when you respawn, you can rebuild it in only a few seconds of special advantage or a couple sloshes."

What is "special advantage"?

 

[Kidnacho]

To answer your question about the "hit or miss" I think it's that each require some sort of skill. The dualies needing a skill for the dodge rolling and the brella needs skill with it's shield. As I said before I don't play the dualies all the time and it's for that reason. I'm not that great with dodge rolling, I either forget or I feel I don't use it to its potential. However, the brella was great the first time I played it because of its shield. One of my first thoughts were, "Huh, maybe I should protect myself while they shoot me and I aim my next shot." All night long I finished with high scores and 6-7 kills. So really I just think it's "Which one am I better with?"

 

[Green Waffles]

@Nutmeat
Lol loks liek s tiepoh xD
I believe he meant "Use enough such that when you get splatted, you can get your special fully charged again within a few sloshes after respawning, helping your team's special advantage"

 

[Saber]

1. Overall the game itself is great and enjoyable, rhough it does have fault in matchmaking and D/C issues have yet to be addressed.

2.Dulies are enjoyable, you never go into a match and not have fun while playing with them the vanilla and the dulies are 2 of my favorite, while the tetra makes me feels like you are wavedashing in spaltoon.
Tentabrella gets alot of heat, but it can allow you to shield allies for a short period of time, allowing you to protect those on the objective, or to launch it and send it ahead of your allies.
The splat brella is amazing great coverage and kill potential if you want to use a brella this is the best.
Undercover is a stealthy weapon meant for rushing a single enemy, but is a little inconsistent so just be aware of that when using it.

3.Special do not guarentee a push. Coordiantion and skill are required for all the special to work optimally...and there is no inkzooka so definetly less broken

4. Major weapons you'll see in meta are. It is a close to mid range meta right now
-splattershot
-Forge splattershot pro
- Splatroller
-N zap

5. Salmon run is great, but it is a grind after a while, it is great in small sessions and during mode

6.Clam blitz is salt personified in solo queue, it is too easy for a comeback or to be completely shut out, it is best to do this in league where you can coordiante with allies

7. Idk

8. I play it with the joycon controller and it plays pretty well, I would recommend the pro though cause it is still better in most option and in other ganes as well.

 

[The Salamander King]

Splatoon meta-game questions?
If you're down for a little bit of reading, boy howdy do I have a good site for you!

https://flc.imperious.ink/

Of course, the newest blog post is first, so you'll want to scroll down a bit if you want to read all his posts chronologically.

And my own tiny blip about ranked n whatnot
It's about as janky as it was back in splatoon 1 just
-S+ is a little easier to reach and the player skill pool is wider as a result
-Chargers were hit with a bunch of little nerfs upon release, the charger mains are coming out of the woodwork slowly now, but most lobbies you won't be seeing any. To put you in the current mind-set, rapid blaster is on of the the top "long range" picks (even though it's mid-range xP)

So if you enjoyed ranked in splatoon 1, at least a little bit, you'll probably feel right at home after your controller adjustment period is done =p

Ahhhhh! How nice it is to see another FLC fanboi!

Also, I have somehow forgotten Rapid in my meta list.

 

[Silentium]

Sorry for the late reply guys! I got busy over the past few days. I finally managed to play a little bit of the single player campaign, and I've been loving it! A bit unusual to play with different weapons in the campaign.

Most of the meta is short-mid ranged weapons that can do a lot of things efficiently, while not being the best at a certain thing. The only reason Forge is used is because of the bomb-bubble tactic. The maps in this game are also a lot more narrow and short-range focused than the 1st game's.

All brellas with the exception of the original have glaring problems in many places. The Tenta kills slowly, paints slowly, has a slow-moving shield, and a garbage kit. The Undercover is good at painting but requires 3 shots and the shield is really weak. It also comes with ink mines, which is just faaaaaaaaaaantastic.

...

Ahhh, I see. So the chargers got spanked because the map themselves are not as friendly towards them. I was never a fan of sniping, so I'll probably enjoy the current meta. I've been looking forward to the Brella class of weapons, but from what I've been hearing I'll have to be more cautious about my optimism.

What’re you in for? Salt. A thousand times your recommended daily value.

Techton had it right with garbage matchmaking. And the fact that Nintendo is so opaque about how it works, i.e. everything people know seems to be based on speculation makes it even more frustrating.

If you get on a winning streak, your first loss afterwards you should just take a break cuz the game is setting you up for a losing streak next.

Turf war if you’re getting pummeled I hate to say it but I end up just giving up cuz there’s no point in trying.

Ranked I’ve won games of rainmaker in less then 30 seconds and I’ve lost in even less time.

Get prepared to hate overtime.

The game is addicting but infuriating.

Doesn't seem like anything too out of the blue, unless if the matchmaking is that much worse relative to Splatoon 1.

Splatoon meta-game questions?
If you're down for a little bit of reading, boy howdy do I have a good site for you!

https://flc.imperious.ink/

Of course, the newest blog post is first, so you'll want to scroll down a bit if you want to read all his posts chronologically.

And my own tiny blip about ranked n whatnot
It's about as janky as it was back in splatoon 1 just
-S+ is a little easier to reach and the player skill pool is wider as a result
-Chargers were hit with a bunch of little nerfs upon release, the charger mains are coming out of the woodwork slowly now, but most lobbies you won't be seeing any. To put you in the current mind-set, rapid blaster is on of the the top "long range" picks (even though it's mid-range xP)

So if you enjoyed ranked in splatoon 1, at least a little bit, you'll probably feel right at home after your controller adjustment period is done =p

Thank you! I'll be looking over this when I start really digging into the multiplayer.

To answer your question about the "hit or miss" I think it's that each require some sort of skill. The dualies needing a skill for the dodge rolling and the brella needs skill with it's shield. As I said before I don't play the dualies all the time and it's for that reason. I'm not that great with dodge rolling, I either forget or I feel I don't use it to its potential. However, the brella was great the first time I played it because of its shield. One of my first thoughts were, "Huh, maybe I should protect myself while they shoot me and I aim my next shot." All night long I finished with high scores and 6-7 kills. So really I just think it's "Which one am I better with?"

Both of those classes of weapons seem to rely on the gimmicks they provide. I can't say anything more, but I look forward to trying them out when I get to them.

1. Overall the game itself is great and enjoyable, rhough it does have fault in matchmaking and D/C issues have yet to be addressed.

2.Dulies are enjoyable, you never go into a match and not have fun while playing with them the vanilla and the dulies are 2 of my favorite, while the tetra makes me feels like you are wavedashing in spaltoon.
Tentabrella gets alot of heat, but it can allow you to shield allies for a short period of time, allowing you to protect those on the objective, or to launch it and send it ahead of your allies.
The splat brella is amazing great coverage and kill potential if you want to use a brella this is the best.
Undercover is a stealthy weapon meant for rushing a single enemy, but is a little inconsistent so just be aware of that when using it.

3.Special do not guarentee a push. Coordiantion and skill are required for all the special to work optimally...and there is no inkzooka so definetly less broken

6.Clam blitz is salt personified in solo queue, it is too easy for a comeback or to be completely shut out, it is best to do this in league where you can coordiante with allies

8. I play it with the joycon controller and it plays pretty well, I would recommend the pro though cause it is still better in most option and in other ganes as well.

Hmm, many of the same problems in Splatoon 2 were in Splatoon 1, unless if they're worse this time around. Though, the game play seems more balanced this time around, so that's good.
Interesting view on Clam Blitz.

 

[Kidnacho]

Well, from my experience, the matchmaking is great. Not perfect, but great. The only time it's screwed me over was one time when I was playing Splat Zones and dropped from B- to C+. Besides that, if it has screwed me over, it was so minor I didn't notice. In fact I'd argue for the matchmaking based on when I started my second account.
I reached level 30 on my main account (Kidnacho, duh) and wanted to start my male/alternative account (aka DonutPanda. IAmTheOnePercentWhoLikesTheBoyModelBetter). First lobby I'm in with other level 1s and 2s and a couple 3s. It's what you expect. Played three matches in that lobby (Apologies to anyone who battled me at this time. I wasn't trying to troll or take the fun out of Turf War, I just needed a few battles before entering a new lobby) and left. When I came back I was a level 3 in a lobby full of 20s-50s, even a guy in the 60s. You would think it's unfair against me but the truth is that these were levels I was playing with on my main account. The game recognized that I should be put with higher levels so it put me with higher levels. So, I wouldn't stress over matchmaking.
However, my complaint comes from disconnects. I wouldn't go so far to say that it's awful or terrible, or that it takes fun out of the game (most of the time). But I've definitely disconnected more times and often in Splatoon 2 than 1. But again I wouldn't stress too much. Most of my disconnects have been in Turf War and Salmon Run every now and then.

 

[Gameboy224]

Can people explain what exactly they find wrong with the matchmaking? Turf War, Ranked specifically.

I mean at least in Turf Wars, they now (or at least now make it clear) that they take Power into account (though invisible) meaning you're more likely than not going to be pinned up against teams of similar average Splat Power. I doubt it takes weapons into account, but the matchmaking system seems to be based purely on past player performance and that's how it goes. Hence why on the whole, Turf War has been more aggressive in Splatoon 2 than in 1, because I'm more consistently pinned with and against people who are better and at my skill level.

As for Rank, it seems about the same as Splatoon up to this point for me. You get some people that hit it off, some that butt heads, and other teams which fall apart. But all seem to fall under human error and the simple fact that randoms are randoms and we all don't share a collective thought or immediate strategy. I guess it should be noted I've mainly played in the A bracket, have most ranks at S but haven't really played much in S queue.

As for D/Cs, I'll be honestly, I don't often experience D/Cs that'd I'd fault the game for on my end. Nothing that'd I'd blame their servers on at least, most D/Cs I encounter tend to be a result of my personal internet bugging out at that moment. And in regards to other people D/Cing, you can't always assume they've disconnect for the same reason or that the servers are always to blame. Sometimes, people just have **** internet and there was nothing in the universe that could've stopped it...

 

[Green Waffles]

@Gameboy224
Nintendo servers only handle making the lobbies. Once the match starts, it's peer2peer. Aka: each of your systems, through their respective internet connection, talking to each other. Nintendo tried (and partially succeded) to reduce latency issues in splat 2 by making their server try and match you up with people you had good ping with, usually meaning whoever was closest to you physically.

 

[Silentium]

Well, from my experience, the matchmaking is great. Not perfect, but great. The only time it's screwed me over was one time when I was playing Splat Zones and dropped from B- to C+. Besides that, if it has screwed me over, it was so minor I didn't notice. In fact I'd argue for the matchmaking based on when I started my second account.
I reached level 30 on my main account (Kidnacho, duh) and wanted to start my male/alternative account (aka DonutPanda. IAmTheOnePercentWhoLikesTheBoyModelBetter). First lobby I'm in with other level 1s and 2s and a couple 3s. It's what you expect. Played three matches in that lobby (Apologies to anyone who battled me at this time. I wasn't trying to troll or take the fun out of Turf War, I just needed a few battles before entering a new lobby) and left. When I came back I was a level 3 in a lobby full of 20s-50s, even a guy in the 60s. You would think it's unfair against me but the truth is that these were levels I was playing with on my main account. The game recognized that I should be put with higher levels so it put me with higher levels. So, I wouldn't stress over matchmaking.
However, my complaint comes from disconnects. I wouldn't go so far to say that it's awful or terrible, or that it takes fun out of the game (most of the time). But I've definitely disconnected more times and often in Splatoon 2 than 1. But again I wouldn't stress too much. Most of my disconnects have been in Turf War and Salmon Run every now and then.

A bit ironic I'm getting conflicting notes regarding the matchmaking. I guess I'll just have to wait until I get started in the multiplayer to see for myself.

Can people explain what exactly they find wrong with the matchmaking? Turf War, Ranked specifically.

I mean at least in Turf Wars, they now (or at least now make it clear) that they take Power into account (though invisible) meaning you're more likely than not going to be pinned up against teams of similar average Splat Power. I doubt it takes weapons into account, but the matchmaking system seems to be based purely on past player performance and that's how it goes. Hence why on the whole, Turf War has been more aggressive in Splatoon 2 than in 1, because I'm more consistently pinned with and against people who are better and at my skill level.

As for Rank, it seems about the same as Splatoon up to this point for me. You get some people that hit it off, some that butt heads, and other teams which fall apart. But all seem to fall under human error and the simple fact that randoms are randoms and we all don't share a collective thought or immediate strategy. I guess it should be noted I've mainly played in the A bracket, have most ranks at S but haven't really played much in S queue.

As for D/Cs, I'll be honestly, I don't often experience D/Cs that'd I'd fault the game for on my end. Nothing that'd I'd blame their servers on at least, most D/Cs I encounter tend to be a result of my personal internet bugging out at that moment. And in regards to other people D/Cing, you can't always assume they've disconnect for the same reason or that the servers are always to blame. Sometimes, people just have **** internet and there was nothing in the universe that could've stopped it...

Seems like most games have some sort of MMR even in their unranked modes nowadays.

@Gameboy224
Nintendo servers only handle making the lobbies, once the match starts, it's peer2peer. Aka: each of your systems, through their respective internet connection, talking to each other. Nintendo tried (and partially succeded) to reduce latency issues in splat 2 by making their server try and match you up with people you had good ping with, usually meaning whoever was closest to you physically.

Sounds pretty good to me. I won't miss getting consistently sniped behind walls by the Japanese snipers due to absurd lag.